Much Ado About A Crush
by meusa
Summary: Misty makes a surprise visit to the Ketchum residence...but she's the one who's in for a surprise. Fun, fluffy stuff and my first attempt at fanfiction!
1. Chapter 1

MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH

I don't own pokemon and all that jazz

A/N: This is my very first fanfic EVER! Please be kind in your feedback...and I hope you enjoy it! That's what keeps me writing! Hope it's not too long…

Ch 1

Let me tell you, there's nothing like riding your new bike down a deserted path, feeling the early morning breeze blowing through your hair, the first gentle rays of the sun smiling down on you.

Nothing but the sound of pidgeys and spearows in the trees, the bicycle tires against gravel, the empty road ahead and your thoughts to keep you company. And the best part was, I knew that at the end of the long road were my old friends…Well, actually, I was only really looking forward to seeing **one** of my friends but, the others were there too and they had to be accounted for.

Knowing I'd be seeing them in person after all these years was the only thing that made me wake up, dress and leave so early. I mean, I was losing SLEEP to see these people! They'd better be happy to see me…

"_Ash"_…Every time I said his name to myself lately, I would see his earnest brown eyes and his goofy smile in my head, and I would feel my heart flutter. I mean, every time he called me and said, in his usual way, 'Hey, Mist!', my heart would skip a beat but…I never thought I'd use the word "flutter" to describe what _my_ heart does! Only Ash could do that to me…

And it was happening. Something I didn't think was possible. I had fallen for Ash Ketchum. And fallen hard. I mean flat-on-my-face fallen for him! And I didn't regret it one bit…I guess absence _does_ make the heart grow fonder!

I was interrupted from my thoughts by an old sign. It was weather-worn and falling apart, but its presence meant that I had reached my destination:

**WELCOME TO PALLET TOWN**

**POPULATION: 159**

…the sign proudly declared in chipped purple paint.

A smile crept across my face as I spotted a familiar windmill-bearing building on top of a small hill. _"I wonder how Professor Oak, Gary and Tracey are doing…"_ I thought to myself. I didn't stop pedaling until I reached a white, two-storey house with a wild-flower garden and a white picket fence around it.

I skidded to a halt in front of the gate and propped my bike up on its stand. I was just about to open the gate when my cell-phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket, grumbling at the interruption. **Daisy** blinked on the screen. I groaned_…"What does SHE want?"_ That's exactly what I asked her.

'What do YOU want?'

'Hey, like, chill out little sister.'

'Is there a_ reason _you called?!'

'Yeah, um…' she started, sounding distracted. 'Brock called here, like, half-an-hour ago. He had, like, a message for you or something.'

'O-okay. What was the message?' I asked, stomping my foot. (I was beginning to lose my patience)

'Um, he said to tell you that Ash's birthday is, like, day-after tomorrow, or something and…'

'WHAT!? OH MY GOSH!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!!!' I screamed, causing a large flock of pidgeotto to fly away, frightened, from a nearby tree. 'WHY on EARTH didn't you call me right after he told you?!?'

'Like, calm down little sister. You're gonna, like, make me deaf in one ear…and that's like, so-ooo uncool.'

'Uncool? _UNCOOL_?! What I will do to you when I get back to Cerulean will redefine the word "UNCOOL"!!!'

There seemed to be some sort of whispering argument on the other line. Then, there was a different voice.

'Sorry about that Misty. You know how absent-minded Daisy gets when she's doing her toenails.'

'Unfortunately, I do,' I said, feeling my anger melt away (like so much ice). I was finally talking to someone with at least half a brain in her head.

'But, Lily, if she had reminded me about Ash's birthday when Brock had called her, I could have picked up a gift for him at Celadon or Saffron!' I wailed.

'You mean you REALLY forgot his birthday?!' she cried in disbelief. 'Yes,' I sighed. I suddenly felt like someone was watching me and I turned around. But, no-one was there…

'Please Lily,' I continued. 'Don't rub it in. I feel absolutely terrible. Especially now, after he had this beautiful new bicycle delivered right to our doorstep on my birthday…with my name engraved on it and everything,' I mumbled, half to myself as I admired my shiny blue bike for the millionth time.

'Hey, didn't you buy him a book or something? The one you saw at the bookstore last month and though was perfect for him? What was it called…?'

'Oh! I remember that! "**Yonder: Legendary pokemon and the legends behind them**"!'

'Perfect! Why don't I mail it to you? You have two days, anyway. It'll get there in time, I'm sure of it!

'Yeah, that's a great idea, Lily,' I cried, immediately cheering up. 'I'm grateful that I have at least ONE sister with good advice!'

'My pleasure, Misty. I'll talk to you later. Bye!'

'Tell Tracey I said "Hi"!' Violet screamed desperately in the background, just before I cut the line.

Well, that was decided. Now, I could visit Ash without the worry of a missing birthday present weighing down my mind. I felt as light as a feather as I walked up the path towards the front door. My finger was about an inch away from the doorbell when, without warning, a strong arm wrapped around my shoulder and another hand covered my mouth!

My instincts kicked in and I began to flail madly, trying to hit my assailant. But he somehow managed to dodge my attacks. I tried to scream, hoping that Ash or Mrs. Ketchum (but preferably Ash), would hear me and come to my rescue. But, the abductors grip was too tight! He started dragging me backwards. I tried to see his face. Who was he? I couldn't even turn around! I could see the silhouette of two other people carrying my bike away. What was happening?

Then, I suddenly realized that my "assailant" was dragging me right into the Ketchum's backyard! _"What kind of idiot is this guy?"_ I asked myself as I stopped struggling and let him drag me up to the tool shed behind the house. The shed door opened noiselessly and I was dragged in. It was pitch dark inside, and I started panicking again. What was this guy going to do to me?!

A/N: Please send your reviews! Thanks for reading! And, by the way, the "assailant" is NOT Ash! (Just thought you'd like to know!)


	2. Chapter 2

MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH

I don't own pokemon and all that jazz

Ch 2

The shed door opened noiselessly and I was dragged in. It was pitch dark inside, and I started panicking again. _"What is this guy going to do to me?!" _ I suddenly heard lots of hushed, urgent whispering. We weren't alone! I could catch some dialogue: 'She's finally here', 'Did anybody see her?', 'Don't talk so loud, you guys! Someone might hear us!'…

The voices were coming from all around me! The whispering continued, sounding like a swarm of angry beedrill. Suddenly, my "attacker" came up close to my ear and hissed 'Sshhhhhh…' The whispering stopped immediately.

Then, one voice said, from just a few feet in front of me, 'Did you just "shush" me? Don't you "shush" **me**, Gary Oak!!' she exclaimed.

The hand had fallen from over my mouth. I don't know when it had happen, but I could speak again. 'Duplica? Is that you!?' 'Could one of you Einsteins please turn on the light?' said the voice next to my ear as his arm slipped from around my shoulder.

'Gary?' 'Yes, Misty, it's me,' he sighed, as a light flicked on. I turned to see who else was here. And, boy! Was I ever surprised!! There, cramped into the tiny tool-shed were Brock, Duplica, Tracey and Richie!! I squealed (extremely loudly, too) and threw my arms around Gary (he was first only because he was standing the closest to me).

Then, I went around and hugged all my friends. Then, I came back and stood next to Gary. I slowly turned my head to look up at him…and I suddenly remembered that he had just dragged me away from seeing Ash. Then, before I could stop myself, I slapped him.

'OW…yeah, it's nice to see you again, too Misty,' he said, wincing. 'WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU FREAKED ME OUT!! I thought you were a kidnapper or something!!'

'Keep your voice down, Misty,' pleaded Brock. 'I knew that if we met you at the front door, the squealing and the hugging would HAVE to happen there, and, well, then you would have to go into the house without finding out about the surprise party,' explained Gary.

'So?! That is no reason for you to go around dra…wait…what surprise party?' I asked, thoroughly confused. 'See?' said Brock defiantly, 'That's exactly what we're talking about? You would ring the doorbell, he would open it, and you would throw yourself at him and be all "Oh, Ash, happy birthday! I'm soooo happy that I could be here for this!" and blah, blah, blah. Then, our plan would be a disaster!' Brock cried, charading as he explained.

'Er…what "plan",' I asked, now even more confused than before. 'Okay guys. Just accept that you lack the "explanation gene" and the rest to me,' said Duplica laying a comforting hand on Brock's shoulder. 'Look Misty, we all got to here for the same reason. We wanted to be here for Ash's big day. But, we all happened to get here at different times. I mean, Brock's been here for almost a month! And Gary just got here a week ago. So, according to Mrs. Ketchum, Ash just doesn't get that we're here for his birthday. He basically thinks that we're all just…I don't know…visiting! You know how stupid he can be. When she told us, we thought "Why not just play along?" So we decided to pretend that we really forgot his birthday. So, you HAVE to join us. We're planning out a HUGE party! We can't have you running around wishing him "happy birthday" when we're all trying to pretend we forgot! It would ruin everything!!'

'Ok, that makes sense…I think.'

'Great!' Richie exclaimed. 'It was actually smart of you to cut it so close to his birthday. I mean, anyone who actually remembered wouldn't have come so late, right?' There was an awkward silence. 'You really forgot, didn't you?' questioned Duplica bluntly. 'Yeah,' I replied, looking at my feet, embarrassed. 'But, don't worry. Lily's mailing his gift over and, if he sees that I'm here without a gift, he'll be even more convinced that I'm just…visiting!' I said, cheering myself up.

'Ok, I guess you're ready to go. Now, remember! Don't say anything even remotely "happy birthday-ish" to him,' said Gary as he led me out of the shed (leaving the other 4 to continue Ash's party preparations) and towards the front door again. He left me there and started heading towards his grandfather's lab.

'Oh, by the way, Misty,' he called, turning around. 'We hid your bike behind the shed. We thought that if you came riding on the gift he brought for you on your birthday, there was no chance you would forget his birthday. We thought he might get suspicious, so…just don't tell him you came by bike.'

I turned back towards the door. And, finally, I rang the doorbell. To my disappointment, Brock - wearing his classic frilly, pink apron, broom in hand – opened the door. "Wasn't he just in the shed?"

'Hello, Misty!' exclaimed Brock (a little too) loudly. 'My! What a long time it has been since I have last seen you!! You have grown so much! I have missed you dearly, my friend!' I couldn't help it. I just stared at him. 'Ash is upstairs. Why don't you go and say "hi"?' he whispered. As I squeezed past him to get to the stairs, he _winked_ at me! At least I _think_ he winked. The right side of his face kind of convulsed for a fraction-of-a-second. It looked like a wink to me…

'Ash? Are you here?' I asked tentatively as I slowly pushed his door open (after knocking, of course). 'Wah!!' followed by a thud was all I heard in reply. He was lying half on the floor, his feet on his bed. He looked at me upside-down, mouth hanging open, but he couldn't seem to find the words to say.'

'Here, let me help you up,' I offered, stepping towards him. But, before I could reach him, something small and yellow streaked out from under a nearby pile of dirty laundry and jumped into my arms. 'Pika-pikachu!' it squeaked happily. 'Oh! Hi pikachu! Look at you! I've missed you too!'

In a flurry of movement, Ash tumbled off his bed and got off the floor, looking down at me. I couldn't believe it! He had to be at least a few inches taller than me!!

'I knew it was!' he said happily. 'Man, you don't know how many times I've wished you would visit!' He took two strides forward and threw his arms around me (!), enveloping me in a warm hug!! I swear I could have melted. Is sighed, contentedly, and looked down…and noticed the yellow ball of fur squished between us, struggling to breathe.

'Um…Ash? You're killing Pikachu.' 'What? Oh! I'm sorry Pikachu,' he said, stroking the fluffy rodent. 'Pi-kaa chu,' Pikachu sighed.

'So, Misty…ever since you took over the Cerulean City gym, I've heard it's been almost impossible to get a Cascade badge,' Ash said as we settled on the carpeted floor of his room. 'What can I say? I've improved my battle style, that's all. But, right now, I'm taking a break. Actually, I was Cinnabar Island, catching up on some sunbathing when I thought, since I'm so close, I might as well drop by,' I said, trying to sound convincing.

He must have bought it because, his smile dropped noticeably. 'Oh…um…that's nice,' he murmured unenthusiastically. 'Well, there's something I have to tell you,' I said, trying to cheer him up. 'About two weeks ago, Gary came to the gym and challenged me! And, boy, did I cream him good!'

'Really?!' asked Ash, his expression immediately brightening. 'Now, this I have to hear!'

'Ok! So, Gary thought he had an advantage from the very first moment he sent out his Umbreon. He totally thought he was gonna win, but I used Poliwrath because of its advantage over dark types. There was one tense moment when…'

A/N: Hope you guys like the story so far. I tried to keep it light and fun…constructive criticism will be much appreciated! Ash and Misty 4eva! X3


	3. Chapter 3

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

I don't own pokemon and all that jazz

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**Ch 3**

'Ok! So, Gary thought he had an advantage from the very first moment he sent out his Umbreon. He totally thought he was gonna win, but I used Poliwrath because of its advantage over dark types. There was one tense moment when…'

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**Meanwhile, In The Shed:**

There was a knock on the shed door. 'Who is it?' asked Duplica, praying that it wasn't Ash. 'It's me,' whispered the person outside. Duplica looked up from the giant card she was making. 'Oh, yeah. _That's_ useful,' she said to the door. The voice outside groaned. 'It's me…Gary!'

'Oh! You can come in. The door's open.'

Gary entered with a small cardboard box in his hand. He set it down next to Richie, who was sitting on the floor, helping Tracey paint a huge banner that said: "Happy Birthday Ash!!"

'Where's Brock, he was just here…'

'You know how he is,' said Tracey, without looking up. 'He's fighting with Mimey about cleaning _something_.'

'I still don't understand how Mrs. Ketchum puts up with those two always cribbing over who gets to…I don't know…mop the floor!' cried Gary as he sat in the only chair in the shed. And, right on cue, in popped Brock. 'There, now the house is as clean as a whistle!' he said cheerfully. 'Until Ash decides to trash it again, of course…' said Duplica, without missing a beat.

'Hey, Richie, just out of curiosity, why did you ask me to get pikachu-shaped confetti? I mean, I thought Ashy boy cared about all his pokemon equally,' questioned Gary as he gestured towards the small cardboard box on the floor.

'Oh! He does, he does!! But, Ash's birthday is also the anniversary of the day Ash first met Pikachu,' explained Richie, setting his paintbrush on the ground.

'Hey, wait a minute,' said Tracey, stopping mid-stroke. 'Wasn't the day Ash met Pikachu also the day…'

'Ash and Misty first met!' Brock said, completing Tracey's sentence.

'They've known each other for that long?' asked Gary, incredulously.

'And he still doesn't know that Misty likes him?' Richie asked with a disbelieving look on his face.

'Yeah, and they would make such a cute couple, too,' gushed Duplica, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

'We should do something to celebrate the day they met!' cried Brock.

'You know what we should do? We should set them up,' said Tracey matter-of-factly as he returned to painting the banner.

'What?' cried Richie

'_What_?' cried Brock

'**WHAT**?!' screamed Gary.

'I think that's a brilliant idea!' Duplica squeaked, getting off the floor. 'And you all know it would be good for them. They're, like, made for each other. Ash is over active and naïve. His head is in the clouds and he has great confidence in himself and his friend. Misty, on the other hand, is down to earth, smart, has a self-esteem issue and she is one of the few people who can actually put up with Ash, and they're both great pokemon trainers, of course. They're perfect for each other!'

'Fine, we'll set them up,' agreed Brock. 'They obviously care about each other and maybe they'll both finally admit it.'

'What?!' screamed Gary. 'You're actually going with this? No way, Brock. When they find out we did this, they'll both blow!! And they both have terrible tempers. And you know how Misty gets when she starts lecturing!'

'Not _"when"_ they find out…_"if"_ they find out,' suggested Richie. '_"If"_?' pondered Gary. '_"If" _is good.'

'But, the question is…"How are we going to do it?",' asked Tracey as he cleaned his paintbrushes.

'We should make it like that movie,' said Gary thoughtfully. 'It's called "Much Ado About Nothing" or something like that.'

'No way!' declared Richie. 'They'd see right through it. And…for your information, "Much Ado About Nothing" was a play written by William Shakespeare long before it became a movie!'

Gary took the opportunity to glare at Richie.

'Why don't we write letters in their handwriting and slip it under their doors?' suggested Brock excitedly. ' That is so clichéd!' cried Duplica. 'The letters will say: _"I love you. Please meet me blah blah blah… love, Ash _or_ Misty."_ They'll meet and be like:

"Hey, Misty. I read the letter you sent me."

" I didn't write you a letter. You wrote me a letter."

"Um…no I didn't."

"You didn't? Oh…"

"Did you write me this letter or not?"

"Wait…I think I know what's going on here…"

And…BAM, they'll both be all over us, yelling and screaming and stomping and slamming doors.

'It won't work.'

'You know, Duplica,' pondered Tracey, with a bemused look on his face, 'You do a pretty good imitation of both of them.'

'Duh! Don't you know who I am? I do "A pretty good imitation" of everybody!'

'We could use that,' continued Tracey. 'I mean, if you were, say…talking to me over the phone, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between Ash, and you imitating Ash.' Duplica thought about this for a while for a while.

'It's brilliant! I'll call Ash on the phone in his room and Misty on her cell! It's perfect! Tracey, you're a genius! Where do you come up with this stuff?'

'What do you expect,' Gary asked in a huff. 'He watches all those stupid soaps while he's supposed to be working in the lab.'

'Yeah! And now you've got Sparky and Ditto hooked. They're both loafing inside,' said Brock sarcastically. 'Not to worry. I made sure to wipe the dust off them!'

'Stop heckling him Brock, and hand me my cell phone from my bag. I'll call Misty,' insisted Duplica.

'Whoa! Hey, not so fast,' cried Richie, snatching Duplica's phone before Brock could give it to her. 'There are a lot of things to take into consideration. Like the fact that Misty has Ash's number stored on her cell. And yours, and all of ours. If we're going to call her, we have to do it from Ash's phone, or she'll know we're the ones calling!'

'And plus,' added Brock, slipping Duplica's cell back into her bag, 'You can't call either of them now, anyway.'

'Why not?'

'They're both inside Ash's room together. It would be stupid to call now!'

'Ok, we need a plan,' Gary said, getting out of the chair and pacing around the shed. 'Firstly, we need to get them apart so we can call them. Then, we need to keep them apart to finish both the calls. If we call one of them and not the other, the whole plan will kind of belly-flop.'

'We need to get Misty out of the house and Ash out of his room, then we'll sneak into his room and use his phone to call Misty's cell. Then we need to get Ash back into his room and use one of our phones to call his line,' said Richie.

'I think I have an idea. Come with me,' said Duplica, as she exited the shed and headed towards the house.

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A/N: Not a brilliant plan, I know. But I'm just trying to keep the plot light and simple. Hope it's good…be kind! X3


	4. Chapter 4

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

_A/N: this chapter seems awfully small…idk…thanks for all the encouraging reviews you guys! More updates soon…I promise!_

**Ch 4**

'I think I have an idea. Come with me,' said Duplica, as she exited the shed and headed towards the house.

**In Ash's Room:**

'…Gary told his Blastoise to use hydro-pump! I knew that meant trouble for Corsola. So I told it to use tackle, but, Corsola missed and got stuck inside Blastoise's right water-cannon!'

'Whoa! Like that time with Quilfish at the Whirl cup!' reveled Ash.

'That's _exactly_ what I thought! So I used the same solution. I told Corsola to use spike-cannon. Now, Blastoise's thick shell may protect it from external blows, but Corsola's spike-cannon hit it right on its exposed skin! The force of the attack sent Corsola flying out of the cannon. Blastoise lost just enough HP for Corsola to take it down with a tackle attack and then…"Blastoise is unable to battle. The victory goes to Corsola and Cerulean City gym!",' I said loudly, standing up.

"That was the best narration of a battle I've ever heard!' said Ash. 'You beat him so good! You just made my day, Misty!' He stood up next to me and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly, a voice called from downstairs: 'Ash, Misty, would you two please come down here? I could use some help in the kitchen!'

'Coming mom!' Ash hollered. 'Let's go! She's making blukberry muffins! I can smell them!!' Ash said to me as he took my hand and dragged me downstairs…

**In The Kitchen:**

'…so, you see Mrs. Ketchum, we need your help to get them out of the room so we can use Ash's phone to call Misty…who needs to be out of the house by then. _Please_, Mrs. Ketchum, it's for your son's well-being!' pleaded Duplica.

'Patience is a virtue…,' cooed Mrs. Ketchum as she pulled a tray of hot blukberry muffins out of the oven.

'A very annoying virtue,' Duplica murmured under her breath.

'Ash, Misty, would you two please come down here? I could use some help in the kitchen!' cried Mrs. Ketchum.

'So, what's your plan?' Brock asked Duplica. 'When Ash and Misty get downstairs, Mrs. Ketchum will ask Ash to stay in the kitchen with Tracey to make breakfast. Then, she'll kindly request Misty and Gary to go to market and pick up some groceries for her so that she can "relax".

'Meanwhile, Richie and I will take the time to make the phone calls.'

'What about me?' whined Brock.

'I was getting to that,' huffed Duplica. '_You_ need to go for a walk around town. It's an opportunity for you to ogle at the beautiful women of Pallet Town (and to stay out of my hair). Everyone know what to do? Good, here they come…_act natural_.'

'What can we help you with mom?' questioned Ash, letting go of my hand (sob) and reaching for the muffins.

'First of all,' began Mrs. Ketchum, 'don't touch those, they're hot!' she said, slapping her son's hand away. 'Secondly, I'm feeling kind of woozy. Could you and Tracey please finish making the pancakes, eggs and bacon?'

'Yeah, sure, I guess we could do that but…what about the others?' asked Ash scratching his head, confused. 'Well, I need Misty and Gary to go to market and pick up few items for me. Here's the list, honey.' She handed me a foot-long list…printed on both sides.

'O-okay, but what about them,' I asked, gesturing towards Brock, Duplica and Richie.

'Um…it's time for us to walk Brock. Yeah…he has to be walked twice a day, otherwise, he gets real fidgety…hehe!' said Duplica as Richie looked at his feet and Brock nodded sagely. She then grabbed the boys by the arms and pulled them towards the back door.

'"_Walk Brock_"?' I questioned skeptically after the door had slammed shut.

'Yup…they do that a lot lately,' said Ash as he tied on a blue apron (which he looked very cute in, by the way!)

'Oh!' I said_. "That must be what they tell him when they go to work on his party preparations,"_ I thought to myself. Well, I wanted to help too. So, I grabbed Gary by his t-shirt collar and dragged him outside.

'Why'd you do that, Red?' asked Gary after we had left the house.

'We need to hurry up and finish this shopping, that's why,' I said, sprinting towards the marketplace.

'Not if I can help it,' murmured Gary…

**In Ash's Room:**

'Ok, Ritchie. It's go-time. I want you to stand guard outside. If Ash or Misty come upstairs, I want you to say…um…: "Sparky's drowning in dirty laundry!" really loudly,' Duplica said, gingerly stepping over a pair of extremely filthy socks and sitting on the edge of Ash's bed.

'Whatever you say, Duplica,' sighed Richie, sitting in the hall outside.

**In The Kitchen:**

'Tracey, could you get the bacon out of the freezer, please? And, do you think I should make scrambled eggs or omelets?'

'I think we all prefer omelets,' said Tracey, striding towards the refrigerator. 'It takes a longer time to make them,' he mumbled to himself as he looked for the bacon.

He was just about to hand the box to Ash when something pink and gooey slithered up to his feet.

'Ditt-ditto!!' it cried gleefully.

'Ditto!,' whispered Tracey excitedly. 'You can help me stall Ash! Take this bacon and hide it until I tell you to get it, okay?'

'Dit-tto!' Ditto sucked the box of frozen bacon into its squishy body mass and promptly slipped under the fridge.

'Good…er, boy….

'Um, Ash, there doesn't seem to be any bacon in the freezer,' said Tracey innocently.

'What?! That can't be right! I'm sure mom bought a box just yesterday! Flip these pancakes for me, would you Tracey?'

As Ash rummaged through the freezer, Tracey took the liberty of (accidentally-on-purpose) dropping and smashing a few eggs.

'Oh, Tracey, what's up with you today? You're being as klutzy as, well…me! Or _Gary_, whoever you think is clumsier,' Ash said, half to himself as he cleaned the floor. 'Speaking of Gary, I'll bet he's the one who ate all the bacon, _that gulpin_! Come on, if you make the pancakes and I make the omelets, we might actually have time to EAT breakfast!'

_A/N: If you're wondering how Misty knows what's happening when she's not around, even though the story is from her POV, it's coz she's pieced together the details and is telling the story a few years from now! Hope you like…says a lil prayer_


	5. Chapter 5

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

_A/N: Sorry for the delay you guys!! I've been trying to keep it to a-chapter-a-day but I had to drop by friend's place so…well I'm back and I'll start my update pattern again!!_

_Thanks for all the positive support!! hugs_

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**Ch 5**

**To Market, To Market:**

'Okay…now all that's left is…cabbage! Gary, where do the sell cabbage here?' I asked, looking around. But, he was gone! _"Oh no! I've lost Gary!!"_ I thought, panicking. 'Okay, Misty. Calm down,' I reassured myself. 'I'm sure he couldn't have gotten too far. He can find the way home.'

I felt a drop of water land on the tip of my nose, another on my arm. It was starting to rain!

And, my phone started to ring…

'Great! Who could be calling _now_?'

_Ash_ blinked on the screen. I blinked back. Why was he calling me? Maybe he needed some groceries or something…

'Hello?'

'Um…hi Misty, it's me.'

'Yes, I know it's you. What's up? I'll be home any minute.'

'There's something I need to tell you…' He sounded a little distressed.

'Can it wait until I get home?' I asked, trying my hardest not to sound rude.

'No…not really…I kind of…need to…sort of…umm…tell you something…right now!!'

'Ash, please! Give me a minute, I'm swamped! Gary's missing, I can't find the cabbages and now…_it's raining_!' I sobbed.

'Look, Gary can find his own way home, cabbages are NOT essential…they stink and it's just a summer shower! But this is something I **have** to tell you over the phone. I won't know how to say it if I'm looking at you!'

'Ok, ok. What's up?' I asked curiously as I took shelter under a tree.

'I don't know how to say this…Ok. When we first met six years ago, I didn't like you that much…'

"_That's a nice way to start a conversation,"_ I thought.

'But, as time went on, I learned to trust you…and then you became a friend. A close friend.'

"_I like where this is going…"_ I could feel myself blush.

'And then, I guess, somewhere along the way…you became something more…and I just didn't know how to tell you…'

There was a (strangely) comfortable silence.

'Ash…I didn't know you felt that way…' I said softly. _"But I'd always hoped you did!!"_

'Look. I need to see you,' he continued. 'Find Gary, send those cabbages home with him and meet me by the lake, okay?'

'Okay,' I replied breathlessly. Then I cut the line. I stood still for a while, hoping this wasn't some sort of dream.

And then…I ran. I ran into the rain and danced around in circles. My hair and the groceries were getting soaked but I didn't care, and, what the heck, the place was more-or-less deserted – I screamed at the top of my lungs: 'ASH KETCHUM LOVES ME!!!'

------------------------------------------------------------------

**Someone's In The Kitchen:**

'There. All done! Mom, Mimey, Pikachu, Sparky, Ditto and whoever else is home! Come and get it!!' Ash called out.

After causing a few more minor disasters, Tracey had been banished from the kitchen by a very angry Ash with a furious speech about "irresponsible at this age", "what kind of example are you setting?" and sending him to a place where he "can't cause any more damage!"

Ash was just about to take two plates piled with pancakes to the table when he spotted a pink glob following him.

'Ditto! What are you doing here? Have you been here all this time?'

'Ditt-tto!' it squeaked. And just before it left, it dropped a bag of thawing bacon at Ash's feet. 'Duplica should really watch what she feeds…_hey_! Where did _you_ get that?' demanded Ash. He set down one of the plates to pick up the box.

'Ditt-tto!' it squealed happily before slithering gleefully out of the kitchen.

'Oh well, no bacon for breakfast today.'

'Ash, honey you're phone is ringing,' called Mrs. Ketchum from upstairs.

'Coming mom!'

------------------------------

**The Shed:**

'Did you guys do it? That was quick,' said Tracey, looking up from an obscenely large phonebook.

'No, the deed isn't done yet,' said Duplica, pulling her cell-phone out of her bag. 'We need to call Ash,' she told him.

'_I_ need to call the bakery! I have to order the cake!' said Tracey, lugging the phonebook out of the shed.

'Ok, let's see if I can't convince Ash as easily as I did Misty,' said Duplica clearing her throat.

'That shouldn't be a problem. Ash is way dumber than Misty. The hard part's over,' sighed Richie.

----------------------------

**In Ash's Room:**

_ring ring_

'I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horseas!' cried Ash as he went to pick up his phone.

'Hello?'

'Um, hi Ash…it's Misty.'

'Oh! Hey, what's up? You lost or something?'

'No! I…need to…um…tell you something.'

'Ahh…I see. You lost Gary, didn't you? It's really not your fault. He wanders off _all_ the time! He'll find his way home eventually.'

'Oh, ok. But, it's not that…I need to tell you something very important.'

'What is it Mist?'

'It's about…us.'

'"_Us_"?'

'Yeah…just let me finish. Do you remember how I actually _started_ following you on your journey?'

'Of course! It's hard to forget. I destroyed your bike…and you stalked me for it!'

'Maybe that was my initial reason but, it didn't take long for me to start…liking you.'

'Aw, I like you too, Mist!'

'What would you say if I told you that my initial liking for you grew, over time, into something more…?'

_silence_

'I'd be thrilled!! Do you really feel that way?'

'Yes! Yes I do!'

'Where _are_ you, anyways?'

'I'm…er…at the market! Gary's missing, I can't find the cabbages and…it's raining!'

'The cabbage is usually sold under the fir tree at the back…' Ash offered

'Thanks, I'll send Gary home with them as soon as I find him. Could you meet me at the lake, Ash?'

'Sure! I'll leave right now!!'

**Market Once More:**

'Gary! There you are!! _Where_ have you _been_?'

'I went to get some berries. I needed to stock up!'

'Well, you could have told me! Now, take these groceries home, will you?'

'I'm touched that you were worried, Red,' replied Gary sarcastically.

'Don't give me lip Oak. Just go!'

'Why should I!?'

'What are you, afraid of manual labor? I have…a date.'

'With _**who**_?!'

'None of your business…now scat!

'Yes ma'am,' he said. And away he marched (slightly bent under the weight of stinky cabbages and other repulsive veggies).

------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: As you can tell…I dislike cabbages…_


	6. Chapter 6

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

--------------------------------------------------------

**Ch 6**

**By The Lake:**

When I got to the lake, (which took some time thanks to Gary's absence), Ash was already there.

He was sitting on the shore of the lake, skipping stones across its smooth, shimmering surface, wearing his hat backwards. I bent a wet twig away from my face and watched him for a while.

I couldn't help smiling…he was so adorable! I walked over slowly and sat next to him. The setting was perfect.

The lake was a beautiful bright blue. The rain had stopped, leaving everything smelling fresh. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there was a trace of slightest breeze and I felt like nothing could go wrong.

'Hey Ash,' I said quietly. 'Hey,' he said without looking away from the lake.

'What are you thinking about?' I asked. 'Everything we've been through together,' he said plainly. I didn't know what to say in reply, so I looked out over the lake as well.

'Like, you were there for me when I got all 8 gym badges qualifying me for the Indigo Plateau League,' he began, slowly.

'Then through all those preliminary tests and qualification battles. And when I lost to Richie at the end, you still stuck by me. And when Brock fell for Professor Ivy and stayed with her, you were there. And when we met Tracey and I went through the 5 gyms to win the Orange Island League, you were there. And when I won the Orange Island Cup, you were there. And when we went through the Whirl Cup thing, you were there, even when we were opponents! And when I set out to get all 8 Jhoto badges, you were there. And when I finally lost to Harrison in the Jhoto League and decided to head back home, you were STILL there!

'No matter what silly fix or dangerous situation I got us into, you were always there for me. By my side and…I never thanked you for it before,' he said, finally turning to look at me. 'So…thank you, Misty.'

'Aw, what are friends for?' I asked, laying a hand on his shoulder and closing in.

'We're more than just friends now, aren't we though?' he questioned.

Then…I kissed him. And, you know come to think of it, if I hadn't been quite so involved in that kiss, I might have noticed that the bush behind us was…_whispering_!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

**In The…Bush:**

'I wonder what he's saying to her,' whispered Duplica. 'Saying?' asked Gary, 'He's not just "saying". He's _monologue-ing_!!'

'AAAHHHH!!!!' Brock screamed (in very hushed tones). 'She's getting closer to him!'

'OW! Gary, you're stepping on my foot!' cried Duplica.

'It's not me! That's Brock's abnormally large foot squishing yours,' Gary cried.

'No! That's your foot. My feet are over here, see?' said Brock.

'Um, guys…' ventured Richie.

'WHAT?!' they all asked angrily.

'They're, um…kind of…kissing…' he muttered.

'_WHAT_!!' they cried.

Then, all four of them started pushing and pulling and shoving and pinching to get a better view.

--------------------------------------

**At Home:**

'Mimey! Ash made breakfast. Come and eat, dear.'

'Mr. Mime!' Mimey said happily.

Mrs. Ketchum was just about to pour maple syrup over Mimey's pancakes when, suddenly, the front door opened and slammed shut.

In the brief fraction-of-a-second that the door was open, Duplica, Gary, Richie and Brock swooshed into the house and found places to sit, with cries of 'They're coming, they're coming!!'

Two seconds later, the doorbell rang. _ding dong_

'I'll get it,' said Brock.

--------------------------------------

**Outside:**

I held Ash's hand as we walked to his front door. "I can't believe this! We're actually…dare I say it?...a couple!!" was all my love-starved brain was capable of thinking.

I rang the doorbell for the second time that same morning. Strangely enough, Brock opened the door…again.

'Oh! Hey, you guys! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you,' cried Brock. I didn't care what he said. I didn't care what ANYONE said anymore! All I cared about was Ash…_stomach growls loudly_

O-okay…maybe all I cared about was Ash AND getting some breakfast in me before…lunchtime!

------------------------------------

**The Next Morning:**

I awoke to the feeling of something cold and slimy in my ear. It was quite a rude way to be woken up actually, finding a ditto probing around, literally trying to reach my brain. 'Ditto! Duplica really needs to watch you better. She's getting a little too distracted with the party,' I moaned, sitting up and hugging the pink glob.

To tell you the truth, I would have hugged anyone who was near me on that most glorious of glorious mornings. Yes, maybe even Gary…!

But, suddenly, I realized that…it could all have been a dream!! Ash and I might never have hooked up! It may all have been a (wonderful) dream, formulated in my head as a result of the fact that I simply had the hots for Ash!!

I scurried out of my room, in my baggy night-clothes, with Ditto clutched tightly to my chest. I was just about to knock on Ash's door, when he opened it and banged into me!

_'Gasp_, sorry! Oh…hi Misty.' I (happily) noted that his voice brightened when he said my name, but still…

And all my silly doubts were put to rest when he bent down and kissed me. (O-okay, it was more like a peck!) Then, he walked past me towards the bathroom, leaving me standing at his door with my eyes still closed…

The moment I heard the bathroom door click shut, I snapped out of my dazed trance. 'Yesssss!' I hissed, doing a little dance right there in the hallway. Of course, I ended up "dancing" right into Brock, who was just stepping out of his room.

'We-ell, you're happy about something,' he said slyly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

'N-no I'm not,' I cried. 'Ditt-tto!'

'Oh. So you're dancing around early in the morning _because_…?' questioned

Brock, crossing his arms.

'I…um…I'm just…happy to be alive, I guess,' I muttered. 'Ditt-tto!!'

'I see. Well, what about yesterday, huh? When you came home with Ash…? You were practically glowing…What was that about, then?' he asked, cornering me with one smooth question.

'Well…he…I mean, I…ah…WAIT!! Why are we having this conversation?! I don't have to tell you anything! I have…the right to remain silent!!' 'Ditt-tto!!!'

'Hey, okay, calm down Misty,' said Brock softly. 'I'm just messing with you…I mean, nothing's really going on, is it?'

I remained silent…How to answer this question? I wasn't sure at the moment…He had caught me completely off guard. Plus, his question seemed rhetorical enough to not really need answering…

I was terribly uncomfortable, though. I always felt like Brock always knew what I was thinking. I'm sure I would have grown increasingly uncomfortable if Ash hadn't chosen that exact moment to walk out of the bathroom across the hall.

'Good morning Brock,' yawned Ash drowsily, scratching the back of his head.

'Hey Ash,' in a curiously suave tone, like nothing had happened at all. 'Ditto.'

I turned around and walked right past Ash into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I leaned back against the door and slid slowly to the ground with a long sigh.

I looked down at Ditto. 'I get the feeling Brock knows something. What do you think Ditto?' I asked rather stupidly.

'Ditto!' it smiled up at me.

'I'm glad you agree,' I sighed, hugging it closer. 'But, I hope we're both wrong. I don't think our friends are ready to know yet…'

------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: I realize that I've made Brock a moron and Duplica eccentric and Richie just plain…lacking in personality. But, if you think about it openly…that's exactly how they tend to act most of the time…especially Richie….poor thing._


	7. Chapter 7

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

-------------------------------------------------------

**Ch 7**

**In Ash's Room: **

'But _why_ don't you think they're ready to know yet, Mist?' asked Ash, giving me a curious look from his bed.

' These are our _best friends_ we're talking about, Ash. How would YOU feel if two of _your_ best friends just decided to hook up all of a sudden?' I cried frantically.

It was almost 11.30 am. Mrs. Ketchum had proposed that we have a late brunch and I had offered to help clean Ash's room. (I'm always a little off when I wake up…I'm not a morning person.)

Little did I know that when I said I would "help", I was signing myself up for almost an hour-and-a-half of walking around in circles, throwing clothes into the hamper and making frequent trips downstairs to empty the hamper again; picking up rotten pieces of who-knows-what from under the bed and washing my hands every time whatever-it-was had been safely disposed of; wiping the dust of everything and rearranging his table, closet (which was fun, actually…whenever Ash left the room…) and bookshelf. And I did this, all without so much as a drop of help from little Ashy-boy!

He just sat there on his bed, giving me cute, sheepish grins at odd intervals. I really couldn't bring myself to make him get up! So, I decided that at least his brain should do some work for once!

I had requested him not to tell our friends about us until I was sure that they would be comfortable. So, here we were…

'But it's _becaus_e they're our best friends that they'll understand,' sighed Ash, leaning back against the wall.

I sighed, tossing the last of his dirty, mismatched socks into the hamper.

'Could we please just wait until _I'm_ ready? Please?' I pleaded, sitting on the bed next to him and resting my head on his shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and let out a long "whoosh" of air. '_Okay_…,' he sighed dejectedly.

'Why do you say it like that? Like you've lost something?' I asked, surprised at how comfortable I was in his arms.

'Because, as our friends, they deserve to know before anyone else…'

'Or…maybe you just want to show me off?' I suggested, my nose grazing his cheek.

'Yeah…that too,' he whispered, turning toward me. He pressed forward and brought his lips down on mine. I ran my hands through his dark, spiky hair. He let his hands stray to my waist…

Who knows where that kiss might have led.

_I_ certainly don't. Because, _right then_, Duplica decided to open the door and walk in. Luckily, we were at opposite ends of the bed before she caught us.

'Your mom says to tell you that breakfast is almost ready, Ash,' she said, her voice lacking of all emotion.

Then, she turned to me dispassionately and said, 'What are you _doing_ in here, anyway? People are going to get a bad idea, you know.'

'No, no! I cleaned his room, see?' I indicated the floor.

'Ah…o-okay…you're acting a little "Brock-ish" this morning…maybe you're just hungry…' She shrugged and walked out of the room…and I started breathing again.

'That was close, huh?' I asked, smiling with relief. The smile vanished when I saw Ash's expression.

'We can't keep doing this, Misty. We HAVE to tell them!'

'_Why_, so we can make-out in your room?

'EXACTLY!!'

I gave him what I hoped was a disbelieving glare.

'I mean…no…ahhh…It's just...Not that…_sigh _I can't come up with another reason right now…'

I rolled my eyes and left the room. I didn't want to let him find out that it was reason enough for me too…_"Maybe we __**should**__ tell them?"_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Breakfast Table:**

'Ahhh. Pechan berry pie…,' gushed Gary, delighted, inhaling the uplifting aroma deeply. 'True heaven on earth.' _drool_

'Why, thank you,' said Brock. 'Oh! Duplica, did you tell them breakfast is ready?'

'Yeah,' sighed Duplica, collapsing into a chair and resting her chin on the table. 'Guess who I caught making out!' she said acidly, an evil smile erupting across her face.

'WHO?!' cried Brock (popping out of the kitchen), Richie (rushing in through the back door), Tracey (without taking his eyes off the TV) and Mrs. Ketchum (from the garden looking up through the kitchen window).

Gary was too busy gulping Qualot juice to be bothered. Duplica gave them all confused looks. 'Who _else_?? Ash and Misty, _duh_!'

The reaction was instantaneous…and alarming.

Gary sprayed juice across the clean, white room. Brock, surprisingly unconcerned about the mess, hissed 'Yesss,' and jumped around the table, grabbed Richie by the arms and began dancing around with him. Mrs. Ketchum and Pikachu both gave high-pitched, joyful squeals from the garden and rushed into the house to celebrate, garden shovels in hand.

Tracey bothered to switch off the TV (ignoring the loud, petulant protests from Sparky and Ditto) and ran into the dining room, slipped on Qualot juice and landed flat on his butt. At that, Duplica and Gary went into mad peals of laughter…and none of them believed, at any time, that Ash and Misty might actually _hear_ them…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Upstairs:**

I was heading to the top of the staircase, continuing my internal debate as to whether or not Ash and I should tell our friends about our new relationship when, there was a sudden eruption of screaming from downstairs. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"What in all-of-heck was that?!" I thought.

'Misty, are you ok? What was that noise?' Ash cried, as he came flying out of his room, panic-stricken.

'I have no clue.'

We hurtled down the stairs and sprinted to the dining room…where everyone was calmly helping themselves to pechan berry pie…

The first thing I noticed was that they were all being unnaturally quiet…

'What was with the yelling?' I asked.

'Yeah, and why is this place so _sticky_…?' Ash cried, looking at the floor suspiciously.

'What "yelling"? There was no "yelling" here,' said Brock, avoiding eye-contact as he cut a slice of pie, placed it on a plate and pushed it towards Ash. Ash, of course, took the bait…and began stuffing his face --…

'We both heard a loud scream…' I glared pointedly at each one of them.

Duplica sighed. 'Fine, fine…I'll tell you what really happened,' she declared.

The moment the words left her mouth, Gary began choking on his pie. The others (including Mrs. Ketchum – who was, strangely enough, wearing a large _sun-hat_) immediately ripped their eyes from their plates and stared daggers at her.

'What _really_ happened was that…Gary was being a pig and drank his qualot juice too fast. He choked and sprayed juice all over the place. Tracey slipped on juice and fell…so we all laughed. Is there a problem with that, Misty?' she blinked pointedly.

I wanted to ask why Brock, being the neat-freak that he is, hadn't cleaned the room yet…but quite honestly, I didn't care. 'We were just worried, that's all,' I said, 'Weren't we Ash?'

Ash, however, was far too busy romancing his pie to notice anything happening around him. So, I pulled up a chair, sat down and had some delicious pechan pie for myself.

----------------------------

**Later That Day:**

Around noon, I was sitting in the living room reading a silly magazine article about how to make yourself more appealing by doing ridiculous things such as rubbing tamato berry juice on your lips and stuff, when Gary walked in all innocent and sat beside me.

Now, I may not have known Gary for very long but, I knew him enough to know that, if _he_ was trying to act innocent, _something_ was up…

'So, what's up?' I asked, tossing the stupid magazine aside and turning to look at him.

He glanced around the room quickly, (looking a lot like a ratata evading a predator) making sure that no one else was in the room. Then, he turned to me and said softly, 'It's here.'

'What's here?'

'The book.'

'What book?'

'THE book…'

I furrowed my eyebrows. 'What are you _talking_ about?'

He sat up straighter and stared at me. 'You _really_ don't know what I'm talking about.'

'Well…obviously.' I rolled my eyes. 'You think I _like_ playing this game with you?'

'Misty,' he said firmly, as he grabbed my shoulders, 'THE book. Ash's book. His BIRTHDAY GIFT…you DO remember tomorrow is his **birthday**, don't you!?' He gave me a little shake.

'Ohmigodness! I completely forgot…AGAIN!!' I gasped, my shoulders drooping. '_ihatemyself_…' I mumbled forlornly…

Gary just shook me harder, but his voice was gentler as he said, 'Get a grip, Red! That's what we're here for. Remember US? Your "friends"? The people who will always be here for you, both of you? We've got your back. The book is wrapped and ready to be gifted, so relax, okay? I was just telling you that it was here, is all.'

I could feel my eyes beginning to burn with tears I knew would never fall. I looked up at him and realized he was right. They _were_ my friends…yes, including Gary. They may be a group of weirdoes, but they were _my_ group of weirdoes. I threw my arms around Gary's neck.

'Thanks, Gary. You're right. You guys are the best friends we could ask for,' I sobbed into his shoulder, 'And, you know what, Ash and I have an announcement to make tomorrow. You guys_ deserve_ to know…because you're our friends!'

He wrapped his arms around me. Suddenly, I felt him begin to push me away. I looked up to see Ash standing in the doorway. 'What are you guys _doing_…?'

------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N: before you start thinking I'm doing this whole 'cliffhanger' thing, let me just remind you that this whole story is supposed to be light and fun, not a big drama…so just relax and don't let your imagination run away with you! I'll let you in on a little secret…__**I'm**__**a big sucker for happy endings**__…shhhhh……. X3_


	8. Chapter 8

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

_Why two updates in one day you ask? Because I write to please and I've been getting great reviews so far! Thanks you guys! _

**Ch 8**

**Professor Oak's Lab:**

'You actually think I would _cheat_ on you?' I asked Ash, nudging him with my shoulder.

We were sitting under a tree in the land owned by Professor Oak. After catching me and Gary hugging, Ash had become very upset and I had had to drag him out of the house to calm him down. He still had this forlorn expression on his face and I was running out of words to use to reassure him.

'It's not that, it's just…'

'What? Don't you trust me?'

'NO! I trust you completely. It's that sleaze-ball Gary I don't trust!!'

'Ash, don't_ call_ him that. He's your friend and you know it!'

He sighed heavily. 'Do you want to know what the worst part is? You're absolutely right. Gary _is_ my friend…creep he may be. But, you still didn't explain to me _why_ you two were hugging!' He whipped around and looked right into my eyes…I was cornered…!

'Ash, I'm sorry, I can't tell you why we were hugging…at least, not right now. But, I love you and I would _never_ lie to you. Gary means nothing in comparison to what you mean to me!' I answered, proud of my honest and mature answer…_ (hem-hem)_

'Wait. You…you _love _me?'

I couldn't help but grin at the perplexed look on the guys' face. 'What do _you_ think silly?' I pushed his shoulder and watched happily as his expression went from perplexed to overjoyed. He stretched his arms towards me and, instead of pushing me back, he wrapped me in a protective embrace.

Then he said the words I'd only ever heard him say in silly, embarrassing daydreams:

'I love you too, Misty,' he kissed my forehead. And we sat there, just like that, watching the sun set on another more-or-less blissful day in Pallet Town.

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_A/N: I interrupt this story to bring you an emergency news broadcast: What did I tell you? No big deal, just stuff and fluff! But, if Ash (from the show) doesn't wise-up soon, I will soooo become an Egoshipper!!! Another secret: I think Gary (without the anal attitude) is kind of…well…hot! DON'T HATE ME!! Now back to your regularly scheduled program… _

---------------------------------

**Home Sweet Home:**

'Does anyone have any clue where Ash and Misty are?' questioned Tracey as he lazily flipped the channels on the TV set.

'_No one_ knows where they are…thanks to Gary!' spat Duplica angrily from her place on the floor. It was dark out and almost dinner-time (judging by the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen). Since everyone was more-or-less prepared for the party the next day, the evening had been reserved for specific boredom.

'I still can't believe you let Ash catch you hugging his _recently-acquired_ girlfriend!' mumbled Brock, his voice muffled by the beanbag where he had decided to bury his face.

'It didn't mean anything!!! So lay off, okay?!' cried Gary defensively. He had, understandably enough, been in a crabby mood ever since Ash had stormed off and Misty had left to console him. Everyone rubbing it in his face wasn't helping any either.

The truth was, regardless of how much Gary teased, prodded and poked-fun at Ash, he still thought of him as a friend and he didn't like the thought of actually hurting his feelings…He groaned, pulled at his hair, rolled off the sofa and landed on the floor with a loud _thud._ No one looked away from the unfunny, unfamiliar sitcom flashing noiselessly on the TV screen. Even the usually over-protective Mrs. Ketchum didn't bother to poke her head out of the kitchen to ask what had happened. Ditto made a very rude gesture.

Gary stood and rubbed the rather large and painful bump on his forehead and gazed sorrowfully at the back of everyone's heads. Just when he thought things would _never_ get better, the doorbell rang…

Nowadays, something exciting always seemed to happen every time the door was opened, and although Gray felt that he couldn't take much more excitement today, he had no choice but to open it anyway…

--------------------------------------------

**Outside:**

The sun had set quite a while ago and the quiet darkness had settled upon the town like a childhood blanket, comforting and calm. Familiar smells wafted from every house. The smell of dinner, the smell of family, the smell of…home.

Even as these thoughts floated gently in and out of my head, I couldn't believe I was actually _thinking_ them. Home?! I was miles from Cerulean city but I felt, if possible, even more at home _here_ than in the swimming pool at the gym!

We weren't exactly rushing to Ash's house. We walked slowly, holding hands, just enjoying the moment, noticing things we hadn't noticed before, not saying a word…

When we did finally reach the door, Ash turned to me and asked, 'So…you think I should forgive him?'

'Most definitely…Poor Gary is probably really upset…'

'Yea…wait! "Poor Gary"? You're _really_ worried about him! Ha-ha "Poor Gary"…he's fine Misty, I'm sure of it!!'

He reached out and rang the doorbell, then swooped down quickly and pecked my cheek, just as the door opened, revealing the crushed and abandoned face of Gary Oak.

'Oh! Hi!! You guys are back! That's great, that's great! Hey, everybody!! Look who's home…_together_!!!' he cried, his face literally blossoming into a huge smile. We stepped directly into the path of a stampede of our friend, and were bombarded with a frenzy of questions:

'Where were you guys?'

'Do you know how worried we were?'

'Do you have _any _idea what time it is?!'

'What have you two been up to…?'

Ash and I exchanged sheepish grins. 'We kind of went for a walk in the woods and…got lost…' I explained.

'_Actually_,' Ash intervened, 'Misty got lost; I was just looking for her…Sorry we made you guys worry.'

'That's okay honey,' cooed Mrs. Ketchum. 'Why don't you all come and eat dinner. Gary, would you help me set the table dear?'

Gary sighed…he knew he'd been forgiven, I guess.

Since our friends seemed to buy our story, Ash and I sighed with relief as we shuffled to the dining table.

-----------------------------------------------------

**The Next Morning. Early. Very Early…:**

'Where are the streamers?' cried Duplica through a large yawn.

'Beside the box with the confetti. When is the cake getting here Tracey?' asked Brock.

'The bakery said the cake would be delivered at 9.30. If things go as planned, Ash will be out of the house before it gets here.'

The shed behind the Ketchum residence was a site of pure pandemonium. Duplica kept looking for things, finding them and misplacing them again. Gary was quickly helping Duplica locate and relocate important party material. Brock seemed to be breaking into cold-sweats. Tracey looked like he was trying to do a million things at once. Meanwhile, Richie was standing quietly in a corner…trying to stay out of the way. The situation was not helped by the fact that all of them were in their pajamas and had frightful bed-head…

'Now, _how_ are we getting him out of the house again?' questioned Richie innocently.

The others all stopped in their tracks and stared at one another. 'We didn't think of that…' whispered Duplica, suddenly wide-awake.

'Dammit! What do we do now?' Brock cried.

'We use our secret weapon, of course…' Tracey said smoothly.

'What "secret weapon"' Duplica asked, whipping round to face him.

'Well…she's slim, has red hair…and goes by the name of…Misty…' he smiled.

------------------------------------------------

_A/N: Well, we're very close to the climax, obviously! Hope you guys have enjoyed the story thus far!! Take care, faithful readers!!_


	9. Chapter 9

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

-------------------------------------------------------

**Ch 9**

**The Same Day, A More Decent Hour:**

Unlike the previous morning, I was awoken on the morning of Ash's birthday by sunlight streaming in through the pale blue curtains of one of the guest bedrooms. Sure, it wasn't as disconcerting as Ditto's "wake-up call", but it didn't help that when I opened my eyes, Pikachu was sitting next to me, staring me square in the face…

I blinked at him. He blinked back. 'Pi-ikachu-uu!!' he cried happily upon seeing me awake.

'Do_all _you pokemon enjoy waking up before we do…?' I asked, irritably, as I propped myself up on my elbows. In reply, Pikachu hugged me and cooed, 'Pi-iikaaa!' delightedly. I sighed, hugging him back, staring into his big, chocolate-brown eyes, realizing how much he was just like Ash…

Then, I realized that Pikachu probably remembered Ash's birthday. Ash's birthday…party…surprise party…._shi-it_!

I dashed around my room, cleaning up, getting dressed, putting on make-up (something I wasn't good at, for lack of experience) while making sure not to look like I was readying myself for any sort of occasion. All the while, Pikachu watched quietly as I scurried across the room, following me carefully with his eyes and enjoying a packet of ketchup I had fished out of my bag for him.

When I was done and ready, we left the room together, Pikachu on my shoulder, as I tried my best to explain to him what a "surprise party" was all about…

I arrived downstairs to find that everybody was already sitting down for breakfast. 'Good morning Misty,' said Duplica, dry sarcasm playing along the edge of her words. 'Glad you could finally join us.'

'Good morning dear,' Mrs. Ketchum chirped as she placed a rather alarming stack of pancakes on the table.

'Good morning,' I replied politely.

We all ate our breakfast in silence. I glanced at Ash more than once during that never-ending meal. He wouldn't look up from his plate. It hurt me to see him so upset but there was little I could do. So, I comforted myself with the promise of the successful birthday surprise awaiting him.

Suddenly, in the middle of my third pancake, someone kicked me hard in the shin. I glared at the only plausible culprit. And Gary glared right back…He stared at me pointedly for the rest of the meal and I wanted to_ punch_ him, but I didn't. I assumed that he had something to say that he _couldn't_ say in front of Ash.

That was why, when Gary offered to take the dishes to the sink, I offered to help.

In the kitchen, Gary grabbed me by the arm and started whispering to me urgently.

'We need your help,' he said, 'to get Ash out of the house…'

'What? Why?! I want to stay here and help you set-up for the party!'

'No, Red. We've got everything covered. It's just that, when the cake arrives and when we're decorating the house, Ash has to be as far away and as distracted as possible.'

'And what makes you think that_ I_ can distract him?'… (Was Gary onto us??)

'Well…ah…you're a good friend of his and we trust that you'll find a way to keep him from thinking about how everyone has "forgotten his birthday" and all that…'

I sighed. What could I say? 'Fine. I'll go. Just tell me when you want us out of here and when we need to be back, okay?'

'Great,' said Gary, looking genuinely pleased. I knew I had been right. Gary was a good friend. He and Ash were rivals, not enemies. And this party would be the perfect way to show Ash that Gary wasn't a "sleaze-ball"…well, at least, not _all_ the time!

After we had finished washing the dishes, and I had gathered details of the plan from Gary, we returned to the living room where everyone was sprawled out watching a movie…I think it was "_Go west, young Growlithe_"…I'm not sure.

'Sooo…I'm pretty-much pooped. I think I'll _hem hem_ step outside for a few minutes…for some fresh air…anyone coming with?'

'Me.'

'Yup.'

'Count me in.'

'Sounds good.'

And, so it was, that Tracey, Duplica, Richie and Brock walked casually out of the room, thinking nothing of the fact that I was now left alone with a boy who was possibly depressed beyond all measure on account of how all of his friends had so easily forgotten his 16th birthday.

But, I was his girlfriend and, despite the fact that I was _also_ pretending to forget his birthday, I was sure that I could find SOMETHING we could do that would cheer him up…I owed it to him…even if it meant making-out until we were scheduled to come home for the party!!

------------------------------------

**Professor Oak's Lab:**

'…and, _that _is how pokemon eggs are made. Amazing, isn't it?' asked Professor Oak, as if we were as excited as he was…yeah, right…

'Fascinating, Professor,' Ash and I replied mechanically.

Ok, so a biology lesson by Professor Oak, based on his thesis entitled "The Study of Pokemon Reproductive Habits", hadn't exactly been my first choice of "distraction" for Ash. But, circumstance had called for it.

After dragging Ash out of the house, I had blanked out as to where to go. And, I had to think fast, because the moment we had left the proximity of his house, Ash had asked me, 'Where are we going Mist?' in this depressed way, like he didn't really care…

I suddenly realized that he might, at any moment, bring up his birthday…so I had said, 'To meet the Professor. We didn't exactly see him yesterday and I want to meet him before…um…I leave…'

Which was probably a bad way to end the sentence because his expression slipped further (something I didn't think was possible), going from depressed to downright miserable. So, I had grabbed his hand, kissed him fiercely and yanked him to the lab…where the Prof had promptly gone off into a monologue about "genetic development", "mutation theories" and "cellular symbiosis structures"…whatever THAT meant!

Ash was gazing out of the large observation window forlornly…I wanted to cry…or scream! I looked at the clock. Luckily, we would be able to leave in a few minutes…_"I hope those guys are ready for us…"_ I thought to myself.

'…what is your opinion of that?' said the Prof, causing me and Ash to snap back to reality… _"Oh, no. What was our opinion of…__**what**__, exactly??"_

'I think that's great,' said Ash, as if he had been listening (which I know he hadn't because he had been so busy looking forlorn…and could you_really_ blame him?).

I thought that Ash's reply would satisfy the Prof into thinking that we were actually listening and that he would just continue babbling about his thesis. But, apparently, Ash's answer was the wrong one, because the Professor's eyes grew wide and then narrowed as a sly smile crept across his face. He was scrutinizing Ash as he said,

'Oh? And does your _mother_ know what your opinions are on the subject, hmm?' he asked.

Shi-it. Professor Oak's question had obviously been something about reproductive habits…and now, I didn't even want to think about what he thought Ash's "opinions on the subject" were…

Well, God has a way of balancing out a person's good and bad luck. And so, seeing as poor Ash had been having all that bad luck all morning, Lady Luck finally decided to take his–I mean _our_–side. Just as Ash and I were exchanging frantic and panicked glances, the Prof's clock struck 10…time to go home.

I was opening my mouth, all ready to say "Well, will you look at the time. We'd better be heading home, before Mrs. K sends someone out to look for us!" when the Prof checked his watch and cried 'Oh my, I have some very important work! If I'm not back in a few minutes, you two won't mind letting yourselves out will you? All right, see you later, children.'

Then he left…after throwing me a VERY meaningful glance…he wasn't coming back…he was going to the party!

I turned back to look at Ash, suddenly very excited. In just a few minutes, his painful frown would be turned upside-down and everything would be back to normal, wouldn't it?

He looked up at me and, to my surprise, he started sniggering. At first, I didn't get it. What exactly was so funny? Then I remembered the thesis and the question the Prof had asked…and started laughing too. Because, the Prof hadn't known what was going on between me and Ash, and had been asking questions that apparently should be cause for his mother's concern! God, what if he went and _told_ her…whatever it was Ash had said was so "great"? And, when Ash and I told everyone in that room about our feelings for each other, what would she think then?!

Which reminded me…we were supposed to spill the beans to our friends today, in just a few minutes actually…and I couldn't even tell him because then, I'd have to tell him about the party…which I couldn't, obviously!

'Hey, you know what,' Ash continued, 'let's just _go_ before the Professor comes back and starts telling us about "nature's great cycle" or something!'

'Yeah, let's go,' I sighed. 'We should be heading home anyway.'

And so, we headed back to the Ketchum residence, little knowing that things were not going to go according to plan…not at all…

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_A/N: Hey all you faithful readers!! meusa here! Okay, so this story is finally coming to an end…only a chapter or 3 left to go! I had lots of fun and met some great people along the way! I'm hoping to write another fanfic…let's see how that turns out…it'll probably be a lot more serious that this one, though. So, thanks for your loyalty…and keep reading!!_


	10. Chapter 10

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

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**Ch 10**

**The Ketchum Residence:**

'Duplica, come over here and help me put up this banner, will you?' cried Brock desperately as he held up one end of the large blue banner with "Happy Birthday Ash" on it in bold white letters, embellished with artfully positioned yellow lightning bolts.

'Can't you see I'm _busy_!?' bellowed Duplica angrily, trying to prop up the big birthday card she'd been working on, near the table in the middle of the room.

'Here, I'll help you,' reassured Gary, being unnaturally patient as he climbed the ladder and tied up the opposite end of the banner.

Everyone was working extra-hard, knowing they had just a few minutes left to finish the setting-up-and-getting-ready for the party. Duplica, still struggling with the card, had rearranged the living room and had moved all the furniture out of the middle of the room, making space for the table where the cake would be placed.

Brock had already stuck up balloons and was finally getting the banner up, with Gary's assistance. He still had to help Mrs. Ketchum set up all the trays of delicious snacks on the table along the wall.

Therefore, Mrs. Ketchum was in the kitchen, with Richie as her little helper, humming a cheerful little tune, finishing the preparations for the buffet. She had made all of Ash's favorite dishes and was looking forward to seeing her son stuff himself silly.

Tracey was putting finishing touches on the cake. He had requested the bakery not to do the details of the icing, as he wanted things to be just perfect. He believed that, if you want something done right, you should do it yourself.

Gary had put up streamers wherever the walls seemed too bare. He had also sprinkled the pikachu confetti wherever it seemed reasonable. Now, they were just waiting for Professor Oak to arrive, praying he didn't meet Ash and Misty along the way.

Suddenly, and quite startlingly, the doorbell rang…

Everyone froze. Even Duplica's card stopped being stubborn and stood up straight.

'Oh no,' whispered Brock, stowing the ladder under the sofa, 'they're home early!!'

As was decided beforehand, everyone took their respective hiding places as Mrs. Ketchum opened the door. Then, as the visitor entered, they all popped out and screamed:

'**SURPRISE**!! _singing _Happy birthday to you, happy bir…oh'

It was just Professor Oak…'Oh my…that was quite good. Very …um…"surprising" indeed.'

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief…and Duplica's card flopped to the ground.

'ARGH!! I'm going to KILL that thing! It just WON'T stay up!!'

'Here, let me help you, Duplica,' offered the Prof kindly. And, together, they managed to get the card to co-operate.

'And not a moment too soon,' said the Professor, 'those two will be here any minute now. Do you know, they came to my lab? Really, I was quite worried as to how I was going to get out of there without causing too much suspicion. Luckily, Misty seems to have understood…she HAS grown into quite a beauty, hasn't she?'

Everyone else in the room (including Ditto and Sparky –to whom Pikachu had explained, as best he could, the meaning of a "surprise party" and "setting someone up") sniggered at this last remark. Professor Oak didn't seem to notice.

The table had been set, the cake was ready, the banner was up, no balloon had popped, no streamer was slipping, the camcorder had a brand new 6-hour tape and the digi-cam had fully-charged batteries and an empty memory-card. They were all completely prepared.

They congratulated each-other on a job well done, gave themselves a pat on the back…and waited.

Everything was perfect; nothing could go wrong…could it?

-------------------------------------------------

**Outside:**

'Misty, what are you _doing_?' Ash asked, smirking, as I crouched on the ground, bending over my high-tops.

'What does it LOOK like I'm doing? I'm tying my shoe,' I replied, quite tactfully.

'I can _see_ that but,' he chose to go on, 'I'm only asking because this is the third time since we left the lab that you've been "tying your shoe". If I didn't know any better, I'd think you we're trying to put off going home…'

Damn him.

'Here, let me show you a trick.' He crouched down beside me, took my intentionally untied shoelaces and slowly, demonstratively tied a double-knot.

'There. Now, I don't think you'll have a problem,' he said proudly as we both stood back up.

Of course, I hadn't been looking at the shoelaces. I damn well knew how to tie my _own_ shoelaces. And he just looked so sweet…plus, I couldn't use the "oh-my-shoe-is-untied" trick anymore. So, for all those reasons, my eyes were on him…

'What…is there something on my face?' he asked, wiping his cheeks and chin.

'No,' I said plainly. Then, I threw my arms around his neck and gave him the fiercest, most passionate kiss I could muster. Hey, _don't_ judge me! I told you already that I was ready to make-out with him if it meant that I was stalling…

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate. **Gary**…the house was ready!

Sadly, reluctantly, I broke the kiss. 'Wow. What was that for?' Ash asked, incredulously, blushing like crazy.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders…what was I supposed to say anyway? 'We should really get going,' was all I could think of to say.

We approached the gate and I saw someone yank the bay-window curtains shut just in time.

'Well, here we are,' I said, trying to sound casual…and failing rather miserably.

'Yes. I can see that. You're acting kind of funny, aren't you?' he asked innocently, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

'No I am NOT!' I cried, loud enough for those inside to hear us_…"Well, here we come, ready or not,"_ I thought. Then, I grabbed Ash's hand and we walked up the path. I stood on the right so that I could walk in before him, in case the guys needed more time.

Ash rang the doorbell this time.

---------------------------------------------------------------

**In The House:**

'Did you call her, Gary?' asked Duplica, bouncing on her toes with excitement.

'Yes…calm down, will you? If what Grandpa says is true, they were probably on their way here anyway. I can safely say, from personal experience, that his thesis is bo-oring,' murmured Gary, so as not to hurt his Grandfather's feelings.

'Really?' asked Brock, as he placed the last of the 17 candles on the cake (16 1 for good luck!), 'What is his thesis about?'

'The reproductive and mating habits of pokemon,' replied Tracey before Gary could say anything.

Everyone froze. Duplica was the first to crack up. 'Ha! That must have been _so _uncomfortable! I'm going to hold that against them forever!!'

'Um, you guys? They're here…' whispered Richie frantically as he yanked the curtains shut.

Everyone ran to their places, trying their best not to giggle. From outside, Ash and Misty's voices were muffled. Suddenly, Misty's voice rose:

'No I am NOT!'

'Wow, she's good at this, isn't she?' whispered Gary to Tracey as the latter nodded sagely.

And, right on cue, the doorbell rang…Mrs. Ketchum turned the doorknob.

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_A/N: Sorry to leave you guys with that but, if I didn't cut the chapter there, this one chapter would be too big so…don't worry, I've already finished a big chunk of the rest so, relax! I won't let you guys down…I'll do my best!_


	11. Chapter 11

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

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**Ch 11**

**On The Other Side Of The Door:**

Ash was holding my hand. I hoped that I wasn't squeezing his hand too tight… he reached out and rang the doorbell.

Almost immediately, the door opened. Of what I could see, the curtains were all closed and everyone seemed to be hiding. _"I guess they're ready after all!"_

Whoever was opening the door was hiding behind it.

'Why are all the lights off? Come to think of it, why are the curtains closed to begin with??' Ash puzzled as the door creaked slowly, to let us in.

'Hey…where IS everybody?' he continued to wonder aloud as I practically dragged him into the living room.

Then, without warning, the curtains were thrown open, light poured in…and our friends popped out!

'SURPRISE!!' they cried out, big smiles on their faces! Even_ I_ was surprised, and I had KNOWN it was going to happen!!

Ash, on the other hand, seemed unable to comprehend the happenings. He stood in the middle of the room, his mouth hanging open. We all watched him…our big smiles still plastered to our faces.

Then, once he finally regained mobility, he looked at me and said, 'You knew about this?'

I nodded, watching the grin spread across his face. 'I thought you guys forgot!'

'That's the whole point, Ashy-boy!' said Gary, thumping him on the back.

'We wanted to do something special for your 16th birthday, dear,' cried Mrs. Ketchum, coming out from behind the door, Professor Oak beside her.

'Mom?! _Professor_? You guys were in on this too?! How long have you been working on this?'

'A few weeks now,' answered Brock.

And so, the party started off well enough. We ate Mrs. Ketchum's excellent cooking and watched Ash unwrap his gifts (because he wanted to _so_ badly). Then, when Tracey went to get the cake, things somehow went downhill **so** fast…

It started because of_ME_ actually! After the last of the presents had been gushed over, I nudged Ash in the ribs before getting up and saying, 'You guys, Mrs. Ketchum, Professor. Ash and I have an announcement to make.'

Ash looked at me hopefully, I nodded.

'The day before yesterday, Ash and I…we…we decided that…you tell them Ash!' I yanked him up.

'Well, you see, we…that is to say me and Misty…we're sort of…um…dating.'

And, of course, to say the response was lacking in enthusiasm would be an understatement. Except Professor Oak, whose jaw dropped. He turned a stunning shade of pink and kept opening and closing his mouth like a magikarp out of water.

'Well, that's nice dears,' cooed Mrs. Ketchum, very anti-climatically…

"That's nice"? Her _beloved_ son had just told her that he was dating his friend of six years and all she could come up with was "_that's nice_"?!

Ash was stunned too…he just gaped at his mother, as if all his brain cells had just up and quit on him…

'What your mom means to say is…Oh my God! That's great you guys! I mean, we always had a feeling you guys liked each other but, we never thought you had it in you to find out for yourselves!' cried Duplica, hugging us both, as if we had announced our wedding-date or something!

Gary thumped Ash on the back again, 'Nice job, Ketchum!'

Richie beamed silently…and I SWEAR (and I don't care how much he denies it now), Brock had tears in his eyes!

When Professor Oak_finally_ got over his humiliation, he had just one question to ask…

'So, how did it all happen? How did you two young lovebirds finally decide to tell each other how you felt?'

I suppose I should have felt the temperature in the room drop as everyone's faces went pale, their blood ran cold and they all turned to gape helplessly at the Professor.

'No, they don't want to tell us that! It's private, _right_?' Brock cried, waving his arms frantically in Professor Oak's face…at the time, I thought it was nice of him…

'Oh, that's OK, we don't mind, do we Ash?' He shook his head. So, of course, I continued.

'The day before yesterday, when Gary and I were at the market, I got a call from Ash on my cell…'

'No, that's not right,' Ash chuckled, 'YOU called ME from the market…remember?'

'No Ash, YOU called and said you had to tell me something…'

'I remember it clearly, Mist. You called and told me that Gary was missing…'

'Yes, he was…'

'Then you told me you needed to get the cabbages…'

'…and YOU told ME that "cabbages are NOT essential", remember??'

'I did **NOT** say that! I would _never_ give you an answer like that!! I clearly told you that the cabbages are sold under the fir tree…' his voice trailed off as he gazed at me, his brown eyes swimming with hurt.

'_Shit_…' I heard Duplica curse under her breath.

And, in that moment, it all became clear. I whipped round to face her, my face burning with embarrassment, my eyes stinging with tears threatening to fall at any minute…

'_Duplica_!' I cried, my voice shaking with emotion. 'YOU did this?! How COULD you?!' and the tears stopped threatening and spilled out over my cheeks.

Duplica had nothing to say, she just stared at me with an emotion akin to regret in her eyes.

It took Ash a few more minutes to register the happenings, but when he did, he looked at Duplica with (what she would later describe as) all the pain a person could express through their eyes…and then some.

'Duplica…_you_? But…but…why would you…I mean…_how_…?' was all that escaped his lips.

I continued for him, 'What made you think it's okay to play with other people's feelings like that?!'

By now, Brock, Gary and Richie, wearing looks of shock and remorse, were standing beside her. Finally, she opened her mouth:

'It wasn't_completely_ my fault! Damn it, it was _his_ idea!' she cried, pointing at a bewildered Tracey, who was just stepping out of the kitchen.

In his hands, he had the cake, shaped like a pikachu's head, with the hand-iced face winking sweetly.

'What?' a bewildered Tracy wondered, staring from Duplica's finger in his face to my face blotchy with tears…

'Duplica…' he growled, comprehension dawning on his face and quickly changing to anger. 'What did you say to them?!'

'Nothing, SHE didn't say anything…' muttered Gary, glaring at the Professor.

'Well, I wasn't aware that…I swear that if I had known I never would have…oh, me and my big mouth. I should just have kept quiet,' mumbled the Professor as he stared sheepishly at his shoes.

'So, you were ALL in on this?' I cried, disbelieving. 'But…why _would_ you?'

Ash looked at his mother, and said one word. 'Mom?' he asked.

Her silence spoke volumes. She looked down at her floral-print summer dress, wringing her hands. 'It was for your own good honey,' she mumbled.

'Exactly,' Brock spoke up. 'You two are _perfect_ for each other. And, we know for a fact that you two have more than enjoyed the past two days…and why? Simply because you were TOGETHER! So, why are you accusing us when all we ever did was help you? If anything, you should be_thanking_ us!!' he was furious.

Well, if HE was angry, how did he suppose WE felt? Of course, at the time I was scared because none of us had ever seen Brock so..._livid_…

Mrs. Ketchum was the one who finally calmed everyone down. To this day, she still has the skill to do that. It took about half-an-hour but, we were ready to be more down-to-earth. It was Ash's 16th birthday…and he deserved the best.

So, once again, Tracey brought out the cake. It was placed on the table and the candles were lit. The curtains were closed and the lights were turned out.

And, despite all our embarrassment, we sang:

'Happy Birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear A-ash (except Gary, who said 'Ash-y boy')

Happy birthday to you.'

But Gary, continued in a solo:

'Happy birthday to you,

You were born in the zoo

You act like a Mankey,

And you SMELL like one too!'

He made a fool of himself but, I suppose, in the process, he made us laugh…and that was exactly what we needed.

I stood behind Ash, watching the back of his head as he bent over to blow out the candles, wondering what I was going to say to him.

Have you ever had one of those instances where, in just a few seconds, you seem to think a million different thoughts? That's what happened then…I remember it like it was yesterday…

In the time it took Ash to blow out 16 candles, make a wish and blow out the 17th one, so many things ran through my head, all at once:

"_Maybe we were set up but was it really THAT bad? I never **lied** to him during these past few days. Everything I said to him, every word, every touch, every kiss…that was ME. Not anyone else. Sure Duplica and those other guys had…nudged us a little but, no one MADE me do anything. Ash and I made these choices…and I do…love him…"_

Of course, it seemed there was nothing to be done…

As the last candle was blown out, we were plunged into darkness. I could hear everyone fumbling about frantically. The newly rearranged furniture added to the chaos and there was a…pandemonium!

'I'll get a flashlight, Mimey where are you?' cried Mrs. Ketchum, leaving the room slowly, feeling the walls.

'Don't bother Mrs. K, I got the lights,' declared Gary confidently.

'You numskull! The switch is over this way,' Duplica ridiculed from the opposite side of the room.

'Au contraire, my dear, THIS is the switch.' There was a "click"…and nothing happened.

The single "click" was followed by several "clicks"…'Wha-?' pondered Gary.

'SEE?! I told you! Why is it that you NEVER listen?' Duplica again!

'Please, children, just calm down, arguing never solved anything,' Professor Oak tried to restore calm…and failed rather miserably.

'Here, I think this sofa's in the way of the switch,' said Tracey. 'Hey Gary, could I get a hand here please? Gary? Gar-? groan…Where's Brock?'

Gary was…um…otherwise occupied…'Well, YOU have no right to be telling me what to do in the first place!'

'Ex-cuse ME for trying to _help _you GARY OAK!'

'That's right, you shouldn't! What do you think I am, a child?!'

'Well, if you're not, you do a VERY good impersonation of one…ever thought of getting into show-biz?!'

'Brock's trying to find the matchbox in the kitchen. Here let me see if I can help,' offered Richie kindly.

And, in all this bedlam, I stood still, smiling to myself softly. This reminded me so much of the day-before yesterday. That day in the shed, Gary crying "Could one of you Einsteins PLEASE get the lights?"

Then, quite suddenly, a hand slipped around my waist and familiar lips met mine. I gave in after the initial shock…how could I not? I _loved_ him for pete's sake! The lights came on a few moments later, But we took our time breaking apart. Around us, the noise slowly came down and a rare hush settled upon the room.

When we ended the kiss (_sob_), Ash looked me straight in the eye and said: 'I guess my birthday wish came true.'

'What did you wish for?' I asked, smiling, my arms around his neck.

'That you'd kiss me back…'

So I did…

'AND STILL NO THANK YOU FROM YOU GUYS, HUH!?' Gary demanded…

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_A/N: And that's that…or is it? Stay tuned! Incoming Epilogue alert! X3. BTW, I hope you **liked** the ending. Constructive criticism will be appreciated…I think! _


	12. Epilogue

**MUCH ADO ABOUT A CRUSH**

_I don't own pokemon and all that jazz_

_A/N: Well, this is it! The fic finally ends. This was just an afterthought really, something to wrap things up, you know? Well…it's been fun! _

_Thanks__**prettygirl17**__** pokemon-princess,**__** patrickdron, highturo-kun112, -Strawberry .A.N.I.M.E. Girl-**__**, gilmaxter,**__** TrueLoveIs4Ever**__ and __**Zive**__ for your support and encouragement! Look out for my next fic, k? Take care you guys!_

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**EPILOUGUE:**

That was over five years ago now…and the memories are as fresh as if they had happened yesterday. After that, we all tried our best to stay in touch. I think we did rather well. Ash took some time off after his birthday to come with me to Cerulean city. But, as is inevitable with that boy, seeing me battle as a gym leader everyday made him restless…and pretty soon, he was off on another adventure of his own. Of course, I missed him but, I couldn't stop him from going. If I'd asked, I'm sure he would have stayed but he belonged on the road.

I had been worried that it would be the Hoenn region all over again. Me waiting for a call, him meeting some other girl and never keeping in touch. But, it wasn't like that at all! He called me almost every day, kept me up to date with everything, and he was back within a year. Since then, we've hardly ever been apart.

After his 17th birthday (much to Mrs. Ketchum's sorrow) Ash moved to Cerulean City. I was delighted and, by then, my sisters were traveling the world trying to promote their "Save the Wailord" campaign. We had the house and gym to ourselves and made the best of it…_wink wink_

More recently, the summer after Ash's 21st birthday, we rented a ski lodge up near Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region. Now, when I say "we", I mean myself, Ash, Duplica, Gary, Brock and Richie (with Pikachu, Sparky and Ditto, of course!) This is, I think, a more suitable ending to this tale than Gary's indignation at not being _thanked_.

We spent almost a week in the lodge. Every moment seems a mixture of laughs, color and friendship. There was never a dull moment…we tried to make the best of every second. Perhaps the last day was the most memorable…I will never forget that night:

We had spent the entire day on the slopes, and darkness had fallen all too quickly, as it has a habit of doing when you're having fun. Brock had prepared an excellent round of hot cocoa (which I suspect had been spiked with by Gary) and we were all huddled on two sofas near the blazing fireplace. I would have, under normal circumstances, snuggled up near Ash but, for some strange reason, Duplica pushed me to one side and sat next to me.

After some merry chatter and teasing, Gary suggested livening up the room by playing a round of truth-or-dare. In return, Duplica asked, 'Fine, let's begin with _you_, Oak. Truth or Dare?'

'Dare.'

'Ok…I dare you to…um…kiss Misty!'

'What?! NO!!' Ash and I protested.

'_What_? I have no problem with that,' Gary shrugged, getting out of his seat and stepping towards me

'Of course YOU don't! What would _you_ have to complain about?' asked Brock, trying to control his laughter…and failing rather miserably.

'Come _on_,' cried Duplica, poking me in the shoulder. 'It's just a DARE!'

'Oh…alright,_fine_…but someone please time this ok? Anything over 5 seconds and Gary **loses an eye**!' I said firmly.

Ash rolled his eyes but said nothing.

But, just before I let him kiss me Ash cried 'And NO TONGUE GARY!'

That was, perhaps the ickiest 5 seconds of my life!

'Well…you're a lucky guy, huh Ashy-boy?' Gary teased, punching a peeved Ash in the shoulder playfully.

And so the game continued. There were private questions asked, and shocking answers given. There were also a large number of dares. Surprisingly, a lot of people wanted either me or Duplica to kiss _someone_ or the other. I played along until Gary wanted** me** to kiss _Duplica_…I pretty much drew the line at that!

Then, when it was my turn again, I chose Truth, tired of getting out of putting so much lip-balm on.

'Ok, _Ash_ gets to give you the question this time,' Duplica replied.

'But I have a good question for her! I _really_ do!!' insisted Gary. 'Misty, when and WHERE was the first time you and Ash–OW!'

Duplica had stepped on Gary's foot, giving him a very deliberate glare. He shut up immediately.

'Go ahead Ash,' she said.

I looked at Ash. 'Truth,' I repeated, smiling fondly at him.

'Ok…but you have to answer honestly,' he said softly.

'That's the point–ouch !' cried Gary, earning himself another squished toe from Duplica.

And, before I could think, or say anything, or react at all, Ash slipped out of his seat, took my hands in his and said, 'Misty, will you marry me? The truth…'

My eyes filled with tears of joy. I sat on the floor in front of him as he pulled a small, blue velvet box out of his jacket pocket and opened it to reveal a stunning white-gold ring set with a single tear-drop shaped solitaire.

And, I didn't need the ring, and I didn't need the fancy proposal, but that was Ash. He wanted the best for me, and I wanted the best for him too…

I wrapped my arms tightly around his shoulders as we sat on the floor just holding each other, our friends kindly leaving the room quietly (_yes_, even Gary).

Then, I whispered in his ear, 'Yes, Ash, I will…'

And I was telling the truth…

**THE END**

-----------------------------------

_A/N: And, now, I'm done…well, I hope you enjoyed taking that little journey with me! Take care, faithful readers!_

_My next fic will probably NOT be pokemon. I'm working on something for Detective School Q…let's see how that turns out…but I promise to come back to pokemon and write something hopefully a little more serious…_

_OH! Also big thanks to: __**Kris Babii, **__**Claire Cooper**__**, Starrycup665, **__**general shadow wolfsbane, **__**dracula-key**__ and__**seiyu13 **__for favorite-ing this story…hope the ending was well worth it!! _


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